Jersey City needs a mayor with concrete plans to improve public safety, create jobs, and provide new opportunities for the city’s young people. Steven Fulop has spelled out specific ideas in each of these areas in his platform. He also has the energy and the aptitude to implement these plans.

His public safety plan, for example, would put more cops on the street by hiring civilians to do jobs currently handled by uniformed police officers. By reducing various layers of bureaucracy, the city will save millions of taxpayer dollars – money that can be used to hire additional police officers. He will change the incentive system to reward officers who work the evening and overnight shifts – the times when the police force is understaffed and most crime is committed.

He will fight crime in areas where conditions are most inviting, such as vacant lots with overgrown weeds, abandoned houses and buildings, and streets with poor lighting.

His administration will enforce penalties for property owners who fail to maintain their property to the point that it is blighted. Under his administration, police will aggressively respond to incidents of graffiti.

Besides making better use of the police, Fulop will seek to get gang-related crime and violence under control by focusing on education, recreation and summer jobs. Children exposed to violence are more likely to perform poorly in school and perpetuate the cycle of crime. Many young people get involved in gangs because they don’t see any viable alternatives. Fulop will work to create attractive alternatives for these young people, such as by using schools for recreation programs during times when the schools are otherwise sitting idle.

Fulop has also developed a comprehensive prisoner re-entry strategy to create opportunities for them and reduce the chances of them committing new crimes.

Fulop’s other plans include restructuring the abatement process to foster development in areas away from the waterfront.

In addition, he will seek to create jobs by allocating more resources and staffing to the Jersey City Employment and Training Program and making it a partner with all new and existing businesses and construction projects, directly connecting employers with Jersey City job seekers.

Another part of Fulop’s plan is to create a strong partnership with the Board of Education. A portion of new real estate development tax revenue will be allocated to a dedicated, non-discretionary account for school funding.

To learn more about Fulop’s plans, please visit http://stevenfulop.com/platform, and please join me in voting for Steven Fulop on May 14.